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Relocating to a legal job hotspot

28.01.07 Firms in some areas of the UK are crying out for lawyers in certain fields - where exactly are they?

When it comes to relocating in the UK, it sometimes helps to have an idea as to where there are solicitors firms in need of lawyers for particular fields of law. Some legal job vacancies tend to be fairly easy to predict, whereas others are a bit more erratic. 

Starting in the South West, there is almost always a shortage of general practice solicitors able to deal with conveyancing and something else. Family solicitors are usually in short supply down there, particularly the further west you go. On the south coast, it again tends to be commercial property solicitors that firms salivate at the sight of, as well as residential property and wills & probate. The latter tends to be quite popular in Sussex, around Eastbourne and further inland. 
In the Wiltshire and Swindon areas, just about every field of law suffers from a shortage, and usually there is a firm somewhere looking at a particular field at one time. 

London is just a hot bed of recruitment for everyone bar immigration solicitors, family solicitors and litigation solicitors. These seem to have been problematic fields since time immemorial, particularly since I have been in recruitment, which is now 7 years. Newly qualifieds seem to struggle as well, although if you move out of central london there are usually posts somewhere. 

Middlesex seems to have a perpetual shortage of experienced property lawyers, and Essex just seems to struggle with everything bar family solicitors. Surrey always has firms looking at the more corporate side, and Kent firms usually pay fairly poorly in comparison with other areas, so recruitment seems to stay busy. 
East Anglia - everything bar family and litigation is always going, and the same for the area around Milton Keynes and Bedford.  The Midlands is so erratic I wouldnt like to comment, and the same applies for the East Midlands, although crime is always good around Nottingham. Yorkshire is always busy in non-contentious work and commercial fields, particularly Hull and Sheffield. 

Manchester, Liverpool and Lancashire usually fairly quiet, as lots of candidates in the areas. Cumbria is good for everything high street wise, particularly solicitors who multi-task. North and South Wales are difficult to predict, and the same for the North East, although we have noticed over the years that firms in Teesside and Tyneside do not like family solicitors much!

If thinking of relocating, get in touch with us for a chat, or alternatively have a read through our relocation reports. Jonathan Fagan, MD of Ten-Percent Legal Recruitment - no.1 online legal recruitment agency - save time, skip the legal job boards and let us do the work - register online at www.ten-percent.co.uk/register.htm 

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Tim Kevan said…
Like the site. I have added a link on The Barrister Blog at http://timkevan.blogspot.com. Reciprocal link always appreciated, though no worries if not. Keep in touch. Best wishes, Tim Kevan

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